1999–2007 Slaven Belupo Spouse Ivana Dolic-Jajalo 1993–1999 DJK Eiche Offenbach Height 1.81 m | Number 28 Role Footballer Playing position Name Mato Jajalo Siblings Kristijan Jajalo | |
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Date of birth (1988-05-25) 25 May 1988 (age 27) Children Emanuel Jajalo, Gabriel Jajalo Current teams U.S. Citta di Palermo (#28 / Midfielder), Croatia national football team (Midfielder) Similar People Andrea Rispoli, Robin Quaison, Ivaylo Chochev, Achraf Lazaar, Franco Vazquez | ||
Place of birth Jajce, SFR Yugoslavia | ||
Mato Jajalo (born 25 May 1988) is a Bosnian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Serie B club Palermo and the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team.
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Early life
Due to the war in then SFR Yugoslavia, his family fled to Germany in 1990 when he was just two years old. There he grew up in Offenbach and started playing football at local DJK Eiche Offenbach. When he was eleven years old, the family moved again, settling down close to Koprivnica in Croatia.
Club career
Jajalo rose through the ranks of Slaven Belupo and debuted in the 2007–08 campaign.
On 1 June 2009, Jajalo was transferred to Siena for an undisclosed fee, believed to be around €2 million.
In July 2010, Siena agreed on a one-year loan deal with 1. FC Köln with a clause in which the German club can buy out his contract, with the one-year loan spell cost the Bundesliga side an estimated €250,000.
In June 2011, he signed a contract making him Köln player on a permanent basis for €2 million. The following season, Jajalo made just 6 appearances in the first half of the season, not one after round 7, and was therefore loaned out to Bosnian Premier League side Sarajevo for the remainder of the season.
On 24 June 2014, Jajalo signed a two-year contract with Rijeka. He was released by Rijeka on disciplinary grounds on 23 January 2015 as he escaped from the training camp on 12 January for unexplained reasons.
On 28 January 2015 he was signed by Italian club Palermo on a free transfer, signing a four-year contract.
International career
Jajalo has represented Croatia on various youth levels and was a captain of the Croatia under-21.
He made his senior debut on 12 November 2014 in a friendly match against Argentina in London, coming as a 65th-minute substitute for Anas Sharbini.
In July 2016 he switched his allegiance to Bosnia and Herzegovina, his country of birth. Jajalo got his first call-up for 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Belgium in October 2016, where he made his debut.